


Sorrow in the Bones

by GretchenSinister



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22748629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GretchenSinister/pseuds/GretchenSinister
Summary: Original Prompt: "(Not a book prompt, but with Tooth’s book backstory, so spoilers for that)For the prompt, Tooth has a psychic connection with her baby teeth. They’re not really old enough for it to be telepathy, but basic images and ideas can be transferred between Tooth and all the baby teeth.In Tooth’s backstory in the books, there are several points in time where cages have been used against her, including at one point where (if I remember correctly), her parents were brutally murdered in front of her, so she would have issues with cages.During the movie, Tooth gets all the psychic info about her minifairies in cages, and it really effects her, messing with her head, though she tries to compartmentalize for the children’s sake.Afterwards, the guardians find out (somehow) about the psychic thing, and her issues with cages, and much comforting ensues...[cut for length]"The memories of her fairies settle into Tooth’s bones even as they forget. Sandy helps her to feel light again. (This was meant to be gen! It was the cuddles thing in the last sentence. I had to have Sandy there! And then Sandy was too suave and it it turned shippy.)
Relationships: Sanderson Mansnoozie/Toothiana
Kudos: 3
Collections: Feather Pillow Short Fics





	Sorrow in the Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 5/7/2014.
> 
> This is my personal favorite Sandy/Tooth story that I have written.
> 
> Here's the rest of the prompt: "tl;dr Tooth has a psychic connection with her Baby Teeth which let’s her know that they were put in cages. Because of her backstory, cages really fuck with her head. All the guardians find out, and realize that she was going throughout the entire movie with the psychic backlash of the mini fairies in cages. Cuddles ensue."

The problem didn’t begin with words, and so neither could it end with words. It was impossible to explain, this aching uneasiness that lingered even after all had been put right, all her fairies freed. Their thoughts were bright and busy again, ringing with the pride of success at every tooth they found, chiming with giddiness when they got the chance to fly near Jack and his snow-white smile, yet Toothiana herself could not forget the few days when all they had to think of had been leaden shadows, lattices of rusted but all-too-solid iron, and the increasing familiarity of cold, thin, perches as their power of flight slowly slipped away. The feelings abandoned by her fairies pooled in her jaw, at the base of her wings. They wrapped around her finger joints, making her fumble teeth and coins, making her feel that if she was still immortal she was no longer ageless.  
  
She avoided the other Guardians as best she could—they would be able to tell something was wrong, but she doubted they would be able to help. The feeling of others’ emotions like she did with her fairies wasn’t something that could be conveyed second hand, not even to someone like Jack, who was still out in the world more than the rest of them. After all, he was only attuned to joy.  
  
And then, one night, Sandy surprised her, his dreamsand cloud popping up from behind a real one. Taking her slow flight after he waved as a sign that she wanted to travel with him, he swooped down beside her and motioned for her to join him on the cloud.  
  
She hesitated, but by now the lead of the memories seemed to have seeped into all her bones, and she worried that continuing on her own might leave her grounded, with no clear means of aid.  
  
As soon as she settled on the cloud, dreamsand catching in any unpreened feathers—and that was nice, she thought distantly, gilding all the cracks she had developed—Sandy’s expression changed from a sunny smile to a small frown of concern. Did he know by the dreamsand? Tooth sighed and stretched out in it. It still wasn’t the same.  
  
Sandy lay down beside her so he could look into her face. The question mark above his head seemed to grow from his ear, and Tooth smiled a little, but still she shook her head. Sandy raised a skeptical brow, but held his hand out, clearly intending for her to take it.  
  
She couldn’t help but gasp at the soothing warmth that spread from his touch, and she managed another smile to reassure him when he hesitated before bringing his other hand to join the first. With soft, strong fingers, he massaged her own deceptively delicate hands, pushing warmth into the bones until it flooded out the ache. When he finished with that hand, he patted it lightly, and sent the question mark up from his ear again.   
  
Tooth smiled, easier now, and flexed her hand with even greater ease, marveling at how limber it felt. Compared to the other—well, how much had she lost? How long would this gift of Sandy’s last?  
  
Sandy looked solemnly into her eyes. He touched one finger to her heart, then to her still-heavy hand, and shook his head. He placed a hand over his own heart, then covered Tooth’s restored hand, and nodded.  
  
 _You shouldn’t carry others’ memories in your own bones. You should carry your dreams._ Tooth wasn’t sure that was what he’d meant, but the thought hadn’t felt only like her own. She closed her eyes, and nodded. When she opened her eyes to look at Sandy again she gestured to all of herself, willing a question mark to appear over her own ear. She might know what she was supposed to do, but knowing didn’t drive out the heaviness.  
  
Sandy only rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment before setting to work on her other hand.  
  
When he finished, Tooth pulled him closer without thinking, and by the time she thought she should have asked, he had begun massaging the base of her wings. She stifled an embarrassing groan in his shoulder, then a laugh at the absurdity of her logic. So it was better for him to feel her voice than for her to hear it herself? She couldn’t see Sandy’s reaction to that, but she could feel his own silent laugh as he kneaded the sorrow and physical tension from her muscles. She was blushing and giggling by the time he smoothed the feathers on her back into place, wondering how many shades of happiness Sandy could distinguish, but not minding too much. Sandy was never one to be shocked.  
  
But maybe she was, just for an instant, when Sandy tilted her face towards his and began to kiss along her jaw to drive out the sadness there. Only for an instant, of course, because the kisses worked so well. “I’m not going to just leave once I feel better,” she murmured. “I just want you to know.” Sandy pulled back so Tooth could see his comical surprise, and he squeezed her tighter.  
  
 _What makes you think I’d just let go?_ The meaning of that was clear enough, even if Tooth didn’t think she could say for sure what the light, light kiss on her lips meant from Sandy who loved so strange and broad. She’d be content for now to stay to find out, and maybe stay long after.

**Author's Note:**

> Tags from Tumblr:
> 
> #rare pairing up in here#an alternate title could have been#Sandy knows you get a little turned on when you're snuggling but he's cool with that


End file.
